He isn't dead, Mrs Farrow! A Tamarind Seed story
by fran330
Summary: Movie: The Tamarind Seed, by Blake Edwards, with Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif. The movie is inspired by the novel by Evelyn Anthony.Mostly missing scenes followed by the first day and first night in Canada, after Judith joined Feodor there.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**I don't own "The Tamarind Seed" or its characters. Evelyn Anthony wrote the novel, Blake Edwards directed the movie. Only the original parts of the plot and the additional characters belong to me. I don't make any money from this story.

**Summary:**

Movie: The Tamarind Seed, by Blake Edwards, with Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif. The movie is inspired by the novel by Evelyn Anthony. Mostly missing scenes followed by the first day and first night in Canada, after Judith joined Feodor there.

**Note**

**Until Judith arrives in Canada, I mainly kept the plot as it is in the movie. I changed one thing though. When in Barbados the second time, I don't believe that Feodor would go for a swim despite Judith's anxiety and disapproval. They are lovers by then and they count for each other. I'd rather see Judith ask him not to go if he loves her, to do it for her and I can't imagine him refusing just for the sake of a swim. So I placed that event one day earlier and I even imagined something special she did… He he! As a consequence, I had to make up a different reason for him to be outside their bungalow when the explosion occurred the following morning… **

**Thanks**** a lot to Revsue for being my beta :o)**

**Pictures et Audio**** for this story can be found in our fanfiction section on julieandrewsforumDOTcom**

**OoOoOoOoOo**

**It ****had been arranged. A car picked her up at Edmonton International Airport, Canada It was early afternoon by then and the drive to the mountains would last for about two hours. While watching the busy road through the car window without paying much attention, Judith Farrow felt a sense of anticipation growing increasingly within. Her mind drifted to the events that had unfolded during the last few months. Not so much the fear, not the doubts and not the desperation she had felt after she had woken up from her coma. She had ached long enough from these. Right now, a light smile was curving her lips as she reminisced how she had gotten to know Feodor Sverdlov. **

**_From the start_****_, when they met in Barbados, he had made no mystery about wanting her. He had said it openly and had tried to steal a kiss from her several times. She had soon felt attracted to this Russian man. He was handsome, incredibly kind, joyful, witty, intelligent, well-educated and she loved to hear the warm roundness of his Russian accent. But she had also felt cautious: he seemed to take nothing seriously, he didn't even believe in good and evil. Also she hadn't recovered yet from having been betrayed by her former lover with whom she had hoped to build a new life after her failed marriage and the death of her husband. She felt she wouldn't be able to trust anyone for a long time and she had decided she would rather stay alone than being hurt again. So she had kept Feodor Sverdlov at a reasonable distance, but to be in his company had somehow been irresistible for her and she had grown to like him very much and to want to see more of him. After their time in Barbados, he had flown from Paris several times to spend few hours with her in London._**

**_Another thing she had very soon appreciated about him was his thorough honesty. Like everything else, he had treated it with lightness but that had only made it even more endearing. In Barbados, he had made fun of her naivety for hoping to find some of the "magic" tamarind seeds they had learned about in the museum. His Marxist mind was sure the story was a mere legend and that they would never find trees producing such seeds. When, on her flight back, she had opened the envelope he had given her just before she left, she had been so amused yet at the same time so moved to find one of these seeds in it. A seed with the shape of a human head! That meant that he had found it without her knowing, and through that playful and non-verbal message, he was telling her: "I was wrong and you were right", something neither Patrick nor Richard would have ever done. Even when obviously mistaken, neither of them had ever admitted it. No need to say they would have never told her she was right if they had had the means to hide it from her! Well, Feodor was not like that. Obviously he didn't feel his male pride was prevalent to his honesty._**

**_She had told herself that her feeling towards him was only friendship until he stole that _****_kiss from her in the dark of a deserted street of London. She had instantly felt the warmth rushing through her, warmth she hadn't felt since the time she was still believing that Richard loved her. She had been unable to not respond to his kiss. She had the excuse that they were being followed and needed to pretend they were lovers in order to hide his real plans from the Russian authorities, but he had known and she had known that her response to his kiss had gone beyond pretending._**

**_Nevertheless, she hadn't allowed that kiss to be talked about afterwards and she had seemingly come back to simple friendship_****_, no matter his attempts otherwise. However, they had needed then to focus on having him escape from the mess he had put himself into with his own country. God! No country, and certainly not Russia in the 1970s, joked when one of their military attaches' views drifted from the official stream! She had been doing her best to help him with that, in her modest capacity, but these kinds of life and danger were not for her. She would soon come back to her quieter life and he would fly to Canada to stay there. That would be it._**

**The car had now left the busy outskirts of the airport and had reached a calmer area made of small towns, villages and fields. In the ****distance, she could vaguely see darker zones of landscape that must be forests, and round higher shapes that must be the foothills. She reached for her bottle of water, sipped slowly from it, then she lost herself in the landscape and in her memories.**

**_Finally they had gone back to Barbados together. That was part of the escaping plan. The Ru_****_ssian authorities would believe he was treating his new English lover in order to have her work soon as secret agent for Russia, but in reality, the British secret services would have him fly to Canada from there, two days after their arrival. He had offered them such important information that they would protect him and provide for him for the rest of his life. That was the deal._**

**_Well, it hadn't remained that simple for long… The Russians had known before he left that he had betrayed them. _****_Her role as cover wouldn't be enough anymore to make him safe._**

**_When they flew to Barbados, she was scared and anxious. Russia had most probably some men on the island, to check on him or worse. What if things turned bad? Was she really doing all this out of friendship only? Out of friendship certainly, but she also knew that by now Feodor had the effect of a magnet on her. Although he was in big trouble and his very life was threatened, that man seemed to always keep his spirits up and to always bring joy and lightness into her own life. There was some kind of sunshine in that man's personality and her quiet and more anxious nature was feeling nourished by his company. Also, since the kiss, she had felt that same warmth rushing through her each time he smiled at her or called her Dushinka (which means "Darling" in Russian) or touch her arm or chastely kiss her cheek with his soft and always burning lips. She would then feel an urge to embrace him, to lean on his strong and warm body, but there was no point. The main thing was that he had never talked about the future to her and before his escape plans came into the picture, he had refused the divorce that his wife had requested. A wife that he claimed not to love and not to be loved by. Judith believed in the genuineness of his friendship, but not in the seriousness of his attraction to her. He was a man to have affairs, probably not a man to build a life long relationship. She didn't want Feodor for an affair, she didn't want anybody for an affair. That was not her style, her heart was far too vulnerable for that._**

**_Nevertheless, even as a friend, she ached at the idea of him living far away and of not seeing him ever again, _****_most probably… He would have his identity changed, he would have to beware of the Russian secret services for the rest of his life. If she went to visit him in Canada, she would surely be followed and endanger him. It was all too complicated._**

**OoOoOoOoOo**

**_That first evening in Barbados, the sunset over the ocean was stunning. A festival of deep red, purple and orange! That sight and the shower she had just taken had relaxed her a little from her anxiety and from the turmoil of her feelings. Feodor was_****_ smoking a cigarette, half sitting on the low wall surrounding their terrace and he was watching her coming. She stood there passively, her hands joined behind her back, few inches from him. All was very still. _**

**_He said_****_, "Would you like to swim?"_**

**_Judith felt _****_a dose of anxiety rise in her again. "The instructions are to not go away from the bungalow."_**

**"_I know. But I am a man and I want you. And if I can't have you, then I must occupy myself with some pleasant distractions that will keep my frustration to a minimum."_**

**_She then had the courage to tell him_****_, "Has it ever occurred to you that I might be slightly frustrated myself?" _**

**_He simply answered_****_, "Then come to bed with me," and as she turned her eyes towards the horizon, he added, "or come swimming…"_**

**_She _****_turned back to him. "Feodor, you are going to Canada. I am living in England. Where would this lead us?"_**

**_He answered, as if it was the most natural thing _****_ever, "Come to Canada with me!"_**

**_She looked at him gravely before she spoke again. "Why would I? If you hadn't been forced to escape your country, you would still be refusing the divorce your wife is asking for. You would still put your country first and you would have no room for me in your life. Why are you asking me suddenly? Because your life has changed against your will? Because you are alone and you need company?" She was feeling both angry and tired at the same time. Tears were starting to fill her eyes but she kept looking at him stoically._**

_He stood up and made a few steps towards her, his eyes not leaving hers.__ He spoke slowly._**_ "That request of divorce was part of a complot against me. My reason for not accepting it then was my survival, I told you. I was making plans for the divorce to go through eventually but I never tell my plans before I am sure they can really be applied." He continued, breathing more heavily, "Do you really think that I want to make love to you, then forget about you? Do you really think that all I have wanted with you was a mere love affair?" His eyes were like shooting flames by now. "I want to make love to you every day from now on, I want to share projects with you, to laugh with you, to argue with you, to marvel with you, I want to raise children with you." After a moment of silence, he added in a low voice, "But you are a free woman. If you prefer to just swim with me, let's go swimming and stop being afraid."_**

**_She first stayed immobile. _****_She felt mesmerised by his eyes and by his words. She felt her heart was being filled with a well being that she was not sure she had ever felt before. It was a mixture of immense love and trust coming not only from his words but also from the intense energy that was emanating from him. It felt like she had wanted to know who that man really was and now she knew. It felt like she had never had a "home", like she had given up hoping for one, then she had just found it. All her doubts, all her sadness were leaving her_****_and she could feel her heart beat faster. _**

**_With no awareness of what she was doing,_****_ she slowly took one step forward, until their bodies almost touched. She put her hands on his chest, their eyes still locked. She was slightly trembling. She shifted one of her hands to the back of his neck and lifted her lips towards his. He took her head in his hands, let his lips meet hers and almost instantly, their tongues met each other in a most sensual dance. Their embrace got as tight as could be, their hands frantically caressing the other's hair, neck, waist, back, seeming to not be able to cease their movements. She was feeling his arousal against her body, and low moans were escaping her throat intermittently. To a different extent, they both had wanted this for too long._**

**_After endless minutes of kissing and embracing, he pulled away from her gently, then he kept one arm around her shoulders, bent slightly and put his other arm behind her knees before lifting her and carrying her to his bedroom._**

**_He laid her on his bed and took _****_off her sandals and his. He then switched on the small lamp by the bed and joined her, his elbows on either side of her shoulders. His eyes felt to her like they were burning her. She reached for his cheek and he leaned it on her hand, eyes closed, for few seconds._**

**_He looked at he_****_r again and asked, "Dushinka, should I be careful when making love to you? I will want to see you pregnant, but not just yet."_**

**_She simply answered,"You don't have to be careful. I am still protected…Thank you for your thoughtfulness."_**

**_He _****_then whispered in his delicious accent, "Let me undress you."_**

**_She responded by_****_ reaching for the back of his head and by pulling him towards her. While they were again relishing their kiss, he undid slowly the buttons of her shirt. She helped him take off her shirt and he started to undo her bra. When the piece of lingerie had totally come off too, he gently released her lips, which she accepted reluctantly, and leaning on one arm, he admired her body. His other hand started to stroke her stomach and her sides in circles, ever so gently. It made her shiver from pleasure. His hand slid slowly up and when it reached the curve of her firm breasts, she gasped. _**

**_OoOoOoOoOo_**

**_While she was lying still and _****_breathless, eyes closed, he held her, brushing light kisses on her cheeks, her forehead, her eyelids. Her hand was gently stroking his thick hair and she had a sense of tender fulfilment that she didn't remember having ever felt._**

**_A little later, w_****_hen her breathing had recovered its normal pace, she opened her eyes. She pushed him gently, rolled him over and her upper body was now on top of his. _**

**_While stroking his hair_****_ and smiling slightly, she murmured, "I have never been attended to that way."_**

**_He caressed her cheek with the top of his folded fingers. _****_"It is because you have never been loved that way."_**

**_As a response, she_****_ trailed kisses on his shoulders and chest, delighting in the curves of his hard muscles. When her lips met one of his nipples, she teased it with her tongue, something she would have never dreamt of doing with her husband or with Richard. With Feodor, she felt that everything was allowed and that the expression of her tenderness and desire was freed from old interdictions. She was probably right to trust her spontaneity because she heard him breathe more heavily and his hand rested on her head, pressing slightly, as to encourage her initiative. Obviously he was enjoying it. _**

**_OoOoOoOoOo_**

**"Are you alright, Ma'am? Do you want me to turn the heating down?"**

**The sentence snapped her back into the present. She realised her head was leaning backwards on the seat, her cheeks were burning and her breath was short. She blushed even more when she saw the driver's concerned look in the mirror.**

**"Uh no, thank you, I am alright." And to make a diversion, she asked: "Are we still far away from our destination?"**

**"Another hour, Ma'am."**

**They had now reached the hills and ****they were surrounded by forests and green meadows. The sun was shining and it was beautiful. She pretended to rearrange her bag and items around her, so that she had an excuse to move to the other side of the seat, where the driver couldn't see her in the mirror. Once she was seated comfortably again, she dove back determinedly into her memories.**

**_She _****_was holding him tightly, his heavy body still connected to hers, and she felt totally content, a feeling that she had experienced very rarely in her life. Yet she was feeling fully aroused again. When was this night going to end? She wondered that with a new twinkle of amusement and excitement, another mixture of feelings rather unknown to her… _**

**_A little later, they were _****_lying on their sides, their bodies entwined and facing each other. He was stroking her hair.._**

**_He murmured, smiling slightly_****_, "I knew you would surrender eventually."_**

**"****_Hmm, how presumptuous! I only came to bed with you so that you wouldn't go swimming."_**

**"_Liar! If that was so, you wouldn't have enjoyed it so much."_**

**_She felt her cheeks flush at the memory of her obvious pleasure and she buried her head in the hollow of his shoulder._**

**_He laughed while resting his hand on the back of her head. "Ha ha! It's too late to be shy!"_**

**_She pulled her head back and looked at him seriously again._****_ "Feodor, you are a wonderful lover. I have never made love that way before."_**

**_Gently, he asked_****_, "How did Captain Paterson make love to you?"_**

**_She had always been surprised by the bluntness of his questions. But she had learnt to appreciate it. Especially at this point, she thought it was probably healthy for them to tackle any subject openly. "Oh! He was rather having sex than making love, I suppose!"_**

**"_You mean he was having sex like a rabbit, taking his own pleasure in no time, then falling asleep?"_**

**"_No. He would get into short preliminaries, explore various positions, attend me in some ways, but only because it's the way a modern gentleman should have sex, so to speak. For instance, he would never look at me when making love and never say a word. He would use his seductive look and conversation before the act, knowing that he would attract me to his bed that way, and it never failed. But once in bed, he was not really there anymore. He was more making love with himself, I guess… I also remember that after the act, he would often ask: "Were you happy?" or "Did you like it?" He would ask this like a formality. In fact, he hadn't cared during and he didn't care after. Whatever I would answer or not answer, he would fall asleep all the same."_**

**"_Did you ever tell him about the problem?"_**

**"_At the time, I didn't know there was a problem. I thought it was just shyness and I believed that our love would lead to more trust and loosen things eventually, not only in our sex life. When I understood that he had no intentions of leaving his wife, although he had told me again and again he would and that there was nothing between them anymore, I knew he had always seen me as a convenient mistress, nothing more. A mistress to whom you lie if it makes things easier. That's when I left him." She paused and he respected her silence. Then she added, almost whispering "I loved how you looked at me when making love." _**

**_He rolled over a little to be on top of her. "It would be a sin not to look at you. You are incredibly beautiful when you are pleasured." After a pause, he added: "And I will pleasure you much more, soon and always."_**

**_His lips met hers and _****_started to brush them lightly. It was delicious and innerving at the same time. She parted hers slightly and he trailed the tip of his tongue between them, then he started teasing the tip of her own tongue. It was even more enjoyable than a deeper kiss. She felt a new wave of desire rush through her, but his lips parted from hers._**

**"_This was a foretaste of more pleasure, but first, let's celebrate!"_**

**"_Celebrate?"_**

**"_Would you like some champagne?"_**

**_She then stretched her arms languorously and smiled. "Hmm, yes, and some water too."_**

**_He dropped a light kiss on her lips and murmured, "At your service, Madame", before getting up, wrapping a towel around his waist and disappearing inside the living room._**

**_They drank champagne in bed,_****_ they flirted again, they made love once more, lengthily, and this time, they reached their orgasms almost at the same time. As if she didn't deserve fully that happiness, or maybe as the expression of the anxiety that would remain in her as long as he was not safely living in Canada, a nightmare seized her in the middle of the night. She felt incredibly relieved when she came back to her senses and found herself in his embrace. They made love again, and did again in the morning. They seemed to never have enough of each other._**

**_OoOoOoOoOo_**

**"_Now, let's make plans. When are you joining me in Canada?"_**

**_They were having a generous late breakfast on their terrace, enjoying the view to the ocean. A light breeze was cooling the air. At his question, she felt anxious again._**

**"_Oh Feodor, I wish I was there already, and you too. I wish all this danger was behind us."_**

**_He put his hand on hers reassuringly. "Everything will be all right. I don't like Mr. Loder but I have seen him at work. I trust his infallible organisation."_**

**"_I hope you are right… I guess I will need his help in order to join you, don't you think?"_**

**"_Most certainly. Listen, I'll leave a note for Loder, to Mister McLeod_****_ who is here. When you are back in London, Loder will contact you. He will arrange everything. He will probably change your identity in England, then again in Canada." After a pause, he continued. "Dushinka, you will leave everything behind you. You might never go to England again. Are you sure you want this?"_**

**_With a twinkle in her eyes, she answered, "What if I said "No"?"_**

**"_I would kidnap you from here"_**

**_Smiling, she rested her hand on his cheek. "You won't need to. I will join you."_**

**_He took her hand and kissed her palm. "Tell me, what are you leaving behind? You never told me anything about your family."_**

**"_Oh, my father died 15 years ago, I loved him very much. I have very little contact with my mother. She is a rather egocentric and very busy lady who never cared much about her children. Other than that, I have a brother who lives in Kenya, in Africa. I guess my friends are more important to me than my family. I don't have many but we count for each other."_**

**"_That's another thing Mister Loder will help you with. What to say to your family and friends… You realise that nobody must be in your confidence…"_**

**"_I hadn't thought_****_ of that yet, but of course… Oh, I hope all this won't take too long!"_**

**_They spent the day reading, talking further about their lives and playing chess. He had asked her if she could play and they had _****_had a chess board brought to them. Like many intellectual Russians, and a military officer on top of it, Feodor was very good at chess and almost unbeatable, but he was surprised at how difficult she had made his victories. _**

**_While sipping a coffee on their terrace, he asked her about her late husband. She said that they had never been terribly close and that she had felt guilty after his death because she had never tried to remedy the distance between them._**

**"_Why did you marry?"_**

**"_We shouldn't have. We had been college friends, he wanted to be married and I was free and wanted a reason to live away from my mother. We knew we were not in love somehow, but we thought we could make it work. We never could. On the contrary, it was hell on earth after the first year."_**

**"_It sounds a little like my story with my wife."_**

**"_Really?"_**

**"_Yes. Marriages for the wrong reasons."_**

**"_If he hadn't been killed, I would have left him."_**

**_He smiled at her. "Well, you won't be allowed to leave me."_**

**_She reached her hand to his cheek. "You are the most persistent man I have ever met."_**

**"_Do you mind?"_**

**_She looked and him intensely and murmured, "No!" She pulled her hand back and looked puzzled again. "But Feodor… Before we make long term plans, I think it would be better if I first joined you for two or three months. I could take that time off, I am sure. Then, from there, we could decide better." _**

**"_Do you doubt your love for me or my love for you?"_**

**"_I am very much in love with you and I don't doubt your love, Feodor. I have never felt with anybody the way I feel with you. But we haven't known each other for long, we haven't spent that much time together and the circumstances have been so strange, unusual so far... We can't know for sure how we would feel together on a day to day basis, can we?"_**

**_He reached for her cheek and smiled. "My cautious Dushinka! If that is the way you want it, so be it. But I can promise you that you will not want to leave me."_**

**_She kissed his hand and smiled._**

**_By_****_ evening, they were surprised that their involvement in the chess game and in their talks had prevented them from making love during the day. He said mischievously that he would make sure they made up for it that night, their second and last night together in Barbados!_**

**_Before the_****_y ordered their room service dinner, he wanted once more to go swimming. He was not a man to stay for long in a confined space and he hated not to be free. Judith had almost succeeded in convincing him not to swim, having asked him to renounce his intention if he loved her. _**

**_Then she got tired of her own seriousness and decided to bring some playfulness into the matter, surprising herself at her bluntness. "And what if, instead, I undress for you to your favourite music?"_**

**_He looked at her _****_teasingly before saying, "Oh, I would miss any swim for that."_**

**_She went to the record player, started "Play it again", the song to which they had danced weeks before in London, then she took his hand and led him to his bedroom. She made him stand still by the top of the bed, walked a few steps away, faced him and, never looking away from his eyes, started to unbutton her shirt very slowly._**

**_This was only the beginning of their second night together._**

**_OoOoOoOoOo_**

**_When she woke up_****_ the next morning, the bed was empty and she was hearing voices coming from the living room. She recognised McLeod's. She closed her eyes, wishing she could go back into the night, into Feodor's embrace and never have to go through today…_**

**_When she left the bedroom, Feodor was alone on the terrace, sipping a cup of coffee and smoking. Before she joined him, she watched that beautiful man who now was hers and would remain hers if events permitted. She could see his profile, He was slightly frowning while fingering his tea spoon. He was not as relaxed as he wanted her to believe and this increased her anxiety._**

**_She came from behind him, gently slid her hands over his chest and buried her head in the hollow of his neck, kissing it. He held her arms and kissed her cheek with infinite tenderness in return. They stayed like this for a moment. _**

**_When she had sat down and was sipping her coffee, his features had recovered their calmness. "Mr. Mc Leod just left. I gave him the note for Loder. I will be picked up here in two hours."_**

**_She bit her lips and couldn't help bury_****_ing her face in her hands. _**

**_He touched her arm and said gently, "Dushinka…"_**

**_She gathered herself. "I am sorry. I am so anxious! I know it's no use but I can't help it."_**

**"_In few weeks, we will be together."_**

**"_I know. I hope so." _**

**"_And we will stay in bed for a whole week."_**

**_She blushed a little and she managed to smile at him._**

**_Half an hour later, she was upstairs _****_where her own bedroom was, finishing getting dressed. That's when the tragedy happened. The explosion, her running to her door and opening it, the storm of fire rushing onto her, then nothing. _**

**_OoOoOoOoOo_**

**_When she woke up _****_at the local hospital, St. Patricia's nursing home, her face, her neck and her left arm were aching badly from the burns. She had to wait for the head nurse to learn what had happened and what had become of Feodor. The head nurse told her about the electrical fault which probably had caused the explosion and that Mister Sverdlov had been killed, which was confirmed later by the police officer who visited her._**

**_OoOoOoOoOo_**

**_Two weeks later_****_, while resting in the garden of the nursing home, she hated to see Mister Loder approaching her with his sinister look. She knew very well that an electrical fault had not been the reason of the tragedy. Loder had not been able to protect them. The man she had grown to love like no one else was dead. What was Loder doing here?_**

**_When she opened reluctantly the blank envelope that he had handed over to her, and found one of the magic tamarind seeds in it, she stared at it and her heart was beating confusedly. "Where did you get this?"_**

**"_He isn't dead, Mrs Farrow. He is alive. In Canada…Obviously, he was outside, at the back of the bungalow when the explosion occurred. When he heard the explosion, McLeod dashed and found him there, unconscious, a few yards from the bungalow. He had two of our men take Sverdlov to his bungalow while he ran inside to rescue you." _**

**_Before leaving her, Loder added: "If you want to see him, it will be arranged. Good bye, Mrs Farrow."_**

**_Tears were running along her cheeks. She was trembling and holding the Tamarind seed against her heart. _**

**_She had to wait for two more weeks before _****_recovering enough to be able to fly back home. From there, the arrangements that needed to be done by Loder took four more weeks. She was supposedly going for three months to Australia where she had an imaginary old friend, in order to complete her physical and mental recovery after the late painful events. She indeed flew to Australia where her identity was changed and flew to Vancouver the next day where her identity was changed again. She now was Ms Helena Worthington and she was joining her lover, Christopher Watson. Yet another flight took her to Alberta._**

**Th****at last flight had been this morning. The car was now climbing a narrow and steep road. A small wooded valley was visible on her right and beautiful green mountains were standing all around, some with their tops still snowy from winter. The sun was shining and she could guess from the quality of the light that the air outside must be much colder than where she had come from.**

**She leaned towards the front seat. "Excuse me, how much longer before we arrive?"**

**"About twenty minutes, Ma'am."**

**"Would you mind if I sit ****in the front seat for the rest of the trip? I'd like to have a better view."**

**"Certainly." He parked the car on the side and began to open his door.**

**"That's ok, I'll manage."**

**When she was out of the car, she breathed deeply in and she felt the crispy air bite the skin of her cheeks. Once seated at the front, she smiled politely at the driver. "Thank you."**

**Her heart was beating. From now on she would stay in the present for the rest of the journey. **

**To be continued…**

15


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**I don't own "The Tamarind Seed" or its characters. Evelyn Anthony wrote the novel, Blake Edwards directed the movie. Only the original parts of the plot and the additional characters belong to me. I don't make any money from this story.

**Summary**

**Movie: The Tamarind Seed, by Blake Edwards, with Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif. The movie is inspired by the novel by Evelyn Anthony.**

**Mostly missing scenes followed by ****the first day and first night in Canada, after Judith joined Feodor there. Not sure yet if I'll take it further than that.**

**Note**

**Until Judith arrives in Canada, I mainly kept the plot as it is in the movie. I changed one thing though. When in Barbados the second time, I don't believe that Feodor would go for a swim despite Judith's anxiety and disapproval. They are lovers by then and they count for each other. I'd rather see Judith ask him not to go if he loves her, to do it for her and I can't imagine him refusing just for the sake of a swim. So I placed that event one day earlier and I even imagined something special she did… He he! As a consequence, I had to make up a different reason for him to be outside their bungalow when the explosion occurred the following morning… **

**Thanks**** a lot to Revsue for being my beta :o)**

**Pictures et Audio**** for this story can be found in our fanfiction section on julieandrewsforumDOTcom**

**OoOoOoOoOo**

"Here is the place, Ma'am!"

It was around 3:30 PM. After having climbed one last short but steep road, the car had reached a rather wide valley. It was all green hills and darker patches of pine trees and it was surrounded by higher mountains. At this point, Judith hardly noticed the beauty of the site. She was avidly looking around, trying to spot a house in that wilderness.

Only when the car was about to stop did she see him in the distance. He was walking down a meadow towards them. She was trembling when she opened the car door and proceeded to walk in his direction. There he was in the flesh, the man she loved and had thought was dead. She was feeling overwhelmed with joy and impatience and her heart was pounding madly. When they reached each other, they first needed to hold hands and to lose themselves in each other's eyes for few seconds, before hugging ever so tightly. He looked at her again and touched gently the scar on her cheek. She was smiling while grabbing his hand. They were unable to utter a word.

When, after hugging her again, he put his arm around her shoulders to lead her towards the house, she turned back and noticed the car had gone.

"Steven took the track to the chalet. The car will be there in a few minutes with your luggage."

While walking, holding each other, the only words they could exchange were:

"Aren't you too tired?"

"No, I am just happy."

Soon she got sight of a beautiful and rather big chalet, which they had to walk round before climbing the few stairs leading to the side door. Once inside, he helped her take off her coat while she was admiring the spacious and well-lit living room in which they were standing.

In no time, they were in each other's arms again. He gently trailed the scar on her cheek again. "Where else were you burned?"

She pointed to her neck and showed her left hand. He looked at each place, brushing them with his fingers, then he held her tightly against his body. "I will never forgive myself for having exposed you to such danger. You could have been killed and you were hurt... All because of my foolish optimism!" As he felt her body shaking, he looked at her and saw tears running down her cheeks. "I am so sorry!"

"No, it's not that… It's… For two weeks, I thought you were dead…" Still crying, she reached for his cheek. "I thought I'd never see you or touch you again… and here we are…"

She was now sobbing freely against his shoulder. He was holding her even tighter. "For two weeks… The bastards! Later, you will tell me everything about what happened."

She slowly calmed down. He was drying her eyes with a tissue when a knock on the door resounded.

"It's Steven with your luggage." He gently kissed both her eyes and went to the door.

Both men carried her bags to one of the rooms adjoining the far end of the living room. They exchanged few words before Steven left, then Feodor came back to her and his arm around her, he led her to the room where her luggage was. "This is your room. Of course, ignore the bed because you will spend every night in my arms."

She leant her head on his shoulder, feeling her cheeks flushing. It was strange how delighted she was to be reunited with him and how shy she felt at the same time, as if she was not sure the intimacy they had shared for two days, two months ago, was totally real. She wondered if he felt a little shy too.

He then faced her, his hands on her shoulders. "Now, you must be exhausted. Tell me what you would like to do… Take a bath or a shower? Sleep? Have a hot cup of coffee or tea? Make love?"

She blushed again and smiled at him. "I think all of that, maybe in a different order…"

"And what's your order?"

"Hmm… A shower first, then a cup of tea, then make love, and I'll see then about sleeping…"

"Alright, I'll make tea while you are taking your shower."

She then murmured, "Kiss me."

Before his lips touched hers, he whispered, "Dushinka!"

They first brushed their lips against each other's. She loved feeling again the warmth and the sensuality of his touch and the slight tickling of his moustache. She even loved to smell again his Russian cigarettes. Although she had never before enjoyed the smell of tobacco, this, blended with his own smell, she was finding most sensual for some reason. She was the one who parted her lips first and traced his with her tongue. He held her head to press her mouth even closer to his, met her tongue with his and their kiss deepened until they needed to catch their breath.

"Oh I would ravish you right here… But I don't want to rush it, we have all the time there is."

She was trembling a little but she managed to say: "Yes, show me the bathroom."

OoOoOoOoOo

When she came back into the living room, tea was ready on the low table, in the lounge area, just in front of the large French window. She looked around the room again, then admired the magnificent view through the French window while he was still busy in the kitchen area.

"Did the British find you this?"

"Yes. They have good taste, don't you think?"

"Indeed, it's incredibly beautiful! Well, they owed you at least this…"

"I am not sure I would stay here always, especially in winter. But for now, I am enjoying it very much. Do you like such wilderness?"

"Yes, very much!"

She turned around and looked at the huge bouquet of wild flowers on the tea table. A similar one, although coloured differently, was on the dining table, a little further in the room, by the side window.

"Did you make these bouquets?"

"No, it's someone I'll introduce you to later."

"Oh?"

He came and sat on the couch. He was looking at her and she blushed from noticing a touch of amused desire in his eyes. She remembered that she was naked under her robe and she was sure he knew it. Standing by the window, maybe the sunlight was even making her robe slightly transparent despite its warm thickness. Again she felt strange from feeling so shy. Was she the woman who had done a strip tease for this man only a few weeks ago?

She shook her uneasiness off and joined him on the couch, folding her legs under herself. He filled the cups and presented one to her. As she was sipping the hot beverage, a wave of well being filled her. It had been a tiring and tense journey here, including the last days of travelling. And here she was, having reached her destination at last, sitting and feeling relaxed and peaceful for the first time in two months.

Yet there were a few unanswered questions about the past events. They needed to be out of the way for both of them.

"Feodor, tell me what happened around the explosion. Mister Loder told me you were outside the bungalow and that's what saved you. I know nothing else…"

"It was luck! While you were upstairs, getting ready, I opened the back door for no specific reason. I was watching the fountain and the shady alley leading to the hotel reception. At some point I saw a monkey under the mango tree, just few yards from me. You know, one of these "green monkeys" we often saw on the island. It was licking its leg, slightly groaning and I could see it was wounded. I approached it slowly and the explosion happened just then. The blow probably knocked me to the ground and I fell unconscious. I woke up few hours later in the plane, Mac Leod next to me. In fact they had drugged me so that I would not wake up before the plane took off. They knew that I would not want to go, knowing that you had been injured. They didn't want that complication, they wanted to make me disappear as soon as possible so that I would be considered dead."

He took her hand in his and continued, "I was terribly worried about you. Mac Leod had seen you unconscious and didn't know what your condition was when you left for the hospital. Fortunately, I was reassured few hours later. Mac Leod called the hospital from the airport and learned that your life was not in danger. During the next few days, as I had requested, Loder called me several times to tell me about the progression of your recovery. I insisted that they let you know that I was alive. I cannot believe that they didn't manage to inform you before two weeks had passed."

It was then her turn to tell her story: The hospital, Loder's visit, the arrangements for her to come here secretly… She couldn't help crying again at the memory of believing he had been killed and he held her again, kissing her hair until she calmed down and continued her story.

"So you are here for three months. What are your conditions for you to come back to me and to never leave me?"

She turned further to him, put her arms around his neck and whispered, "That you love me, I suppose."

He held her and softly kissed her hair and her neck.

"That's easy," he murmured. Then he whispered into her ear, "Dushinka, these were painful memories. We don't need to come back to them unnecessarily, but let's promise that if and when either of us needs to do so, we will allow it. We shouldn't keep any shadow to ourselves. Do you promise?"

"Yes, I like that, I promise."

He then nibbled at her ear and proceeded to trail very slow kisses from there down her neck. She pulled her head further back to give him better access. She was feeling his hand travelling down and up her side, from her arm pit to her hip. The energy between them was slowly shifting from tender to more and more sensual. The tickling in her stomach, that she had felt present since this morning, became much more intense. She was pressing her body against his, feeling her breasts aching delightfully against his chest.

From her hip, his hand travelled down her leg, and encountering the cleft of her robe, went in and pursued its journey there, stroking again and again the skin of her thigh from her knee to her buttock. Their breathing was getting heavier.

He then shifted his torso and his arm a little so that her head was even more pulled back and kissed her mouth lengthily and deeply. She was holding him, rubbing his hair, his neck, his shoulders, relishing in their recovered closeness.

He parted from her lips and simply said, "Come."

They extracted themselves from the couch, and still holding each other and kissing, they headed to his bedroom. They were still kissing while undressing each other nervously, then entering the bed.

Once under the silky sheets, they couldn't stop rolling over and against each other in a slow motion, skin against skin, using their whole bodies as well as their hands and lips to caress each other, never insisting on any place, just like the flow of a torrent caresses round pebbles, endlessly.

OoOoOoOoOo

They were lying on their sides, entwined and facing each other, their breathing recovering its normal pace. He was stroking her hair. "You know one thing I love about you?"

"Only one?"

"Ha ha, you have your mischievousness back. That means that you are happy and relaxed."

"I am… So what is that one thing you like about me?"

"It is not something I like, it is something I love, something I totally fall for. It is the fact that underneath your reserved, very serious and ladylike appearance, you are a very sensual and passionate woman, particularly in bed."

She was blushing but kept smiling at him.

"I saw it in your eyes from the first day we met."

"Did you?"

"Yes, that contributed greatly to make me fall in love with you. You don't know how that contrast in you is attractive. To unveil your sensuality, to make you give it to me, became my only purpose besides staying alive."

"It seems that you have succeeded, Mister Sverdlov."

He rolled over her, his eyes lost in hers. "Yes, and I am most enchanted by it." He then murmured: "You know what excites me most? It's when you are overcome by your desire and you beg me to pleasure you more… Or when you take initiatives to increase your pleasure or mine. I would kill my own brother to be able to see you, hear you, feel you doing these things.

While stroking his hair, she answered: "Oh Feodor, you make me do the wildest things. I am not myself when I am in your arms… or maybe I am myself only then, I don't know anymore… All I know is that I am happy with you."

He met her lips again and they exchanged another long and deep kiss.

With a twinkle in her eyes, she murmured: "My turn to tell you what excites me most about you…"

"Please!"

"It is the way you take your time to pleasure me. When you make love, it's like you are drawing a painting and like my pleasure is part of yours…" She sighed languorously and added in a whisper: "I feel so in love with you, Feodor."

"Will you believe me if I tell you that I have never loved anyone like I love you? That no woman has ever attracted me as you do?

He rolled them back on their sides. She snuggled up against him, kissing his neck tenderly. After few minutes, she was sound asleep in his arms.

OoOoOoOoOo

When she woke up, it took her few seconds before remembering where she was. When she did, a faint smile lightened her face. She moved her body, searching the contact with Feodor's but she was alone in the bed. She leisurely looked around, loving the space of the room, the warm colour and the smell of the wooden walls, the still blue sky despite the hour and the far away mountains that she could see from the bed, through the window. She thanked God for being here at last, for her past anxiety to be left behind, for the peace and inner joy she was feeling right now.

When she got up, she found a note on the floor, by the door of the bedroom. It read:

_Dushinka,_

_I am in the garden_

_I forgot to tell you: P__lease don't call me Feodor in front of anybody, _

_I will also call you Helena._

_Tender kisses,_

_Christopher_

_P.S. As simple precaution, __please, burn this after reading_

Oh Lord! It was good he had reminded her of that. She would have forgotten!

She entered the living room and after she had burned the note in the fireplace, she inspected the outside through the windows. What did he mean by "garden"? Everything around was a garden here… She finally saw him at the side of the chalet, not far from it. He was with Steven. They were measuring something on the ground and planting poles. A dog, a spaniel it seemed, was playing around them. She watched Feodor for a moment and was enjoying it. He looked in his element, doing outside manual work. Definitely a side of him she hadn't seen yet.

After another hot shower, she put some warm clothes on and decided to join him. She was first welcomed by the friendly spaniel which jumped around her and licked her hand.

When Feodor saw her, his face brightened. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, like a baby."

"You met Steven. He and his partner work here and live in that chalet."

He was pointing to a smaller chalet, half hidden behind pine trees, twenty yards from where they were. Steven smiled briefly to her and continued what he was doing. Judith realised she hadn't really looked at him during the journey, thankful that he had respected her silence. Now she was acknowledging a dark haired broad man in his early forties, with the same kind of stature as Feodor.

"Are you going to build something here?" she asked Feodor.

"No, we are drawing the future vegetable garden."

"Oh, nice!" she answered with an appreciative look.

Feodor gave some instructions to Steven, then joined her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Come, I'll show you the view of the other valley."

They climbed the mound behind the chalet, the dog accompanying them, and there she discovered scenery at least as beautiful as this valley.

"You see the town down there? It's Pineridge, the closest to here. It's a thirty minute drive." He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her, smelling her hair. "I want you to be happy here. And if you are not, we will move."

"Oh, Feodor, you are too sweet. But I truly think I will like it here. I do already."

"Dushinka, you need to get used to calling me Christopher, even when we are alone. Tell me that sentence again."

"What! Feodor, you are too sweet?"

"Yes, it's a perfect sentence for your training."

"Ha ha! Christopher, you are too sweet."

"Again."

"Christopher, you are too sweet."

"Once again."

"The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain."

"What is that?"

"Ha ha! Nothing. It's from a musical."

"OK, again with Christopher in it."

"The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain… Christopher, you are a pain."

He bit her ear, which made her laugh. "That will do for now. It will soon be dark. Come, we will drop by Steven's chalet then we will go home."

They and the dog walked down the mound and saw Steven putting tools away in a small shed next to his chalet. After Feodor had knocked at the door, they heard a rather joyful male voice.

"Come in."

The inside was cosy. A fire was burning in the hearth and she noticed at once an abundance of colourful sculptures and paintings of an art that she was not used to. She thought it must be Native American art. An Irish tune familiar to her was playing, which added to the cosiness of the atmosphere and there were several bouquets of wild flowers, resembling the ones in Feodor's chalet. A short and slim blond man with thick curly hair tied up in a pony tail, probably in his thirties, walked out from what looked like a kitchen, wiping his hands on his white apron. He was smiling broadly.

"Welcome to Hedgehog Stone! Ms Worthington, I presume?"

He had a slight Scottish accent.

"Yes."

He presented his hand to her. "I am Alistair, Steven's partner."

Despite her surprise, she shook his hand and managed to say: "How do you do?"

"Do you like salmon, Ms Worthngton? Christopher was not sure." And with a funny imploring look, he added: "Please, don't tell me no!"

"Uh yes, I love salmon!"

"Phew! Tonight, you will eat fresh salmon caught from the river this afternoon and prepared with a sauce "a l'echalotte"… Hmmm…" Saying this, he kissed the tip of his fingers, his eyes half closed.

"Alistair's cooking is real art, you will taste for yourself," Feodor said.

Judith smiled at Alistair at last. "I am looking forward to it."

"Good! Now, you will excuse me, I have to finish the meal. I'll bring it over in half an hour." And looking at Feodor, he added: "You'll only need to heat it up in the oven if you want to eat later."

Smiling, Feodor answered: "That, I should manage."

Alistair accompanied them to the door and while they were heading home, he shouted: "Thanks for passing by!"

It was almost dark by now. They were walking the few yards separating the two chalets, their arms around each other. She looked up at him. "You are cheeky. You knew I would expect to see a woman. You could have told me."

"Ha ha! I like to surprise you… Are you shocked?"

"No, they look rather nice."

When they were in, he faced her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you tired? You didn't sleep long, after I left you."

She smiled. "I guess I am but I don't feel it.

"Go and change if you wish. I will make a fire and get champagne ready. I want your first evening here to be perfect."

OoOoOoOoOo

She was looking at herself in the mirror of her room, wondering if her brown one piece outfit was appropriate. Except for the wide bottom of the pants, the thin stretchable material was following every curve of her body like a second skin. The front ended at her neck, wrapped around it, leaving her shoulders and most of her back naked. The fact that it was definitely sexier than anything she had ever worn made her feel shy again. She remembered their afternoon love making and smiled at her own contradictions. She found a way out by keeping the outfit on and by putting on a cardigan over it.

When she walked out of her room and into the living room, she was stunned by the love with which he had filled the atmosphere. The curtains were closed, a fire was burning in the hearth and a piece of melancholic East European gipsy music was playing softly. The dining table was laid with flowers and candles arranged on the white table cloth and plenty of other candles were burning in the lounge area.

He was busy in the kitchen area, his back turned to her. She joined him silently, put her arms around his body and leaned her cheek on his back. "You are treating me like a princess."

He turned within her embrace, resting his arms on her shoulders, careful not to touch her with his hands which were sticky with food. He dropped a kiss on her neck. "Yes, I am." And noticing her make up, he added: "You are very beautiful."

"Thank you… Let me help you. What can I do?"

"Alright… Would you like to finish spreading the pâté on the toast? I will take a shower meanwhile."

Thanks to the fire, it was very warm by now in the chalet. Before she began her task, she took her cardigan off and started to spread some pâté on the toast. He must have turned around and seen her naked back while heading to his bedroom because he walked back, put his hand on her hips and trailed kisses on her shoulders, which made her shiver.

"What a sight! Are you wanting me to make love to you before dinner?"

"No, I only wanted you to kiss my shoulders."

He resumed his kissing, sliding his hands up, along her side. She gasped when he cupped her breasts and started to massage them.

At that very moment, a knock on the door resounded.

"Mm…" Feodor groaned, "it is Alistair with the meal."

He dropped a last kiss on her neck, released her and turning to the living room, loudly said: "Yes?"

"Wow, it's the one thousand and one nights here!" Alistair said while walking decidedly across the chalet, towards the kitchen area.

Feodor chuckled. "Right you are!"

"OK, you preheat the oven for twenty minutes, then you put it on medium heat and the meal will be ready after fifteen minutes. It's still warm, so not more than fifteen minutes, ok?"

"All right, chef!"

As soon as Alistair had come in, Judith had turned to the sink, aware that her cheeks were burning and that the arousal of her breasts was visible under the thin material of her outfit.

"Have a good evening, lady and gentleman."

While he was walking back across the living room, Judith turned around and said, "Thank you for the flowers, Alistair. It was you, wasn't it?"

He turned around and bowed ceremoniously. "Yes, Ma'am. You are welcome."

She smiled at him. "Please call me J… Helena."

"You are welcome, Helena." And he went out.

"That man is too funny," she said, her eyes still looking towards the living room he had just left. Looking back at Feodor, she added, "Will you tell me about them and how they got here?"

"Of course! I will tell you during dinner. Now, I had better not approach you again before dinner or we will spend the whole night in this kitchen. You look far too attractive tonight... I will be with you in fifteen minutes."

OoOoOoOoOo

"I hope you don't mind that I am in my nightwear…" He was wearing black silky pyjamas and a robe.

"I wouldn't mind any nightwear, but I definitely don't mind this one… You look very classy and cosy too."

He smiled while pouring champagne into the glasses. They were sitting at the dining table, facing each other. The fire and the many candles were the only lights in the room and the languorous gipsy music was still playing.

"To us, Dushinka!"

"To us, my love!" she responded gravely.

They kept their glasses against each other for few seconds, brushing each other's fingers, before drinking their first sip, not leaving each other's eyes.

She then handed a small wrapped box to him. "I have this for you."

"A gift? For me?" He took it and chuckled. "Will you believe that I have something for you, too?" And he pulled an even smaller box from his pocket and presented it to her.

"Aww," was the only thing she could say while taking it, before adding, "You open yours first."

"Alright."

"It's nothing original. It was difficult to choose something. I realised that I didn't know much about your habits or your tastes yet. I still don't, really."

He was now holding a black Montblanc pen, with "With love, D." engraved in the platinum garnish He took her hand and kissed its palm tenderly. "I will always keep it with me."

She was now opening her gift, finding a small golden locket hanging from a thin golden chain. She looked at the locket closer and recognised the human shape of a "magic" tamarind seed. The jewel was half the size of a normal seed.

"You had it made?"

"Yes! No jeweller had ever made this before I asked for it, I'm afraid."

He stood up, walked around the table and did the chain up around her neck. As he was softly kissing her shoulder, she turned and rested her lips on his cheek.

"It's such a lovely thought, Feodor. I will cherish it."

While coming back to his seat, he said, "Now you say this sentence again with the right name."

"I am sorry... It's such a lovely thought, Christopher. I will cherish it."

"What's my name?"

"Christopher."

"Tell me something else."

"I love you, Christopher."

"Oh I love to hear that… This name business is easier for me because I can keep calling you Dushinka… But it is only for both of us. In public I will have to get used to calling you Helena… Now try the toast. It's a wild mushroom pâté that Alistair makes himself."

"Mmm, it's delicious!... Tell me about them, will you?"

"It was Mister Loder who assigned them here. I mean, I am their employer. I pay them with the allowance I receive from the British government but Loder found them for me, so that my comfort was assured from the start. At the beginning I knew nothing about them, other that they were British, so I had no idea how Loder had chosen them. They knew nothing about me either. But once they and I were here, we talked. Steven used to work as a detective for Scotland Yard, back in England. A few years ago, he got tired of that kind of life and also of hiding his homosexuality. He and Alistair were already together. Alistair was a chef in a posh restaurant in London. They decided to leave everything and to start a new life here, in Canada. Alistair became a chef again and Steven got involved in what he really likes, forest work. When Steven was approached by Loder's service, they both liked the proposal because they are both nature lovers and at the same time, the wages were attractive. That's the story."

"You seem to get along well with them."

"Yes, they both work very well, whatever they do, they are easy to deal with and they have interesting personalities. Steven is very reserved but you will see that underneath that, he has a fine sense of humour. He can do anything as far as manual work and nature are concerned. They both are passionate about ecology. Alistair has many trades too, besides cooking. He is a very skilled fisherman, especially sport fishing in rivers, which he has started to teach me, by the way. He is an artist too. He got acquainted with Native Americans and he is very much into that art and culture. Besides all that, as you saw, he is the most joyful and original lad to have around, without being invasive at all. I am very happy that they are here. I believe you will like them too."

"Does the dog belong to them?"

"Yes, the only female in the neighbourhood, with you now."

She smiled. "What's her name?"

"Ayiana. It means Eternal bloom in one of the Native languages… Would you like to carry on with champagne or would you prefer some white wine with the salmon?"

"I'd rather stick to champagne."

Feodor cleared the table of anything that had to do with the starter and brought the steaming dish of salmon. She tried to help but he refused, saying that he was treating her tonight. Before they started eating, the music had stopped, so he played the same record again.

"I hope you are not tired of Gypsy music..." he said while regaining his seat.

"No, it's very beautiful… This smells delicious!"

"Yes, and there is a dessert afterwards. Another one of Alistair's creations."

"And what are their respective jobs here?"

"Alistair does the cooking, as you know, the shopping and the housework in this chalet, and in theirs too, I assume. Steven does everything that has to do with outside work and with providing us with wood. He also takes care of any repairs or improvements that need to be done in the chalets. But for bigger projects, they work together. Alistair is rather polyvalent too. Mind you, there were jobs I intended to have done by local trade men, just to not overload the two guys, but usually, they don't want that. They have ideas and they like to carry them through themselves. They are very positive people."

"Mmm… You were right, Alistair is a real chef. This is absolutely exquisite!"

"It is. I am glad you like it. I told you I wanted the evening to be perfect for you."

"You are a dear, F… Christopher. Oh Lord! How difficult it is for me to call you that."

"You are doing well. You will soon get used to it."

"And tell me, who found the chalets? Did you live here from the start? Does this belong to you?"

"The two guys found them. Loder found the guys first, then he asked them to find a suitable place. It didn't have to be this remote. If it is, it is because these two chalets were for sale and they loved the idea of living in such a place. It was all settled when I arrived in this country. It was paid for by the British government, as part of the deal they had with me. The deal was a place and a comfortable allowance. I only had to add my signature in order to officialise my ownership. I must say that Mister Loder has been remarkably efficient with this."

"So you own the two chalets?"

"Yes, and 3000 acres of land around them. I'll show you the exact land tomorrow."

"Let me ask you something. How do you feel about all this? Being in exile, hiding…"

"Well, you see, I am Russian. We believe in fate. As a matter of fact, we invented it, like fairy stories. That way, if anything happens to us, it is never anybody's fault, it is fate… Like me now, yes, I will miss my country. But there is nothing I can do about it. Besides, fate does good things too. It sent you to me and I love you more than my country."

She smiled and leant over the table to hold his hand for an instant.

When they were done with the main course, they had some delicious apple ice cream with meringue, topped with maple syrup and fresh mint leaves. Alistair had taught Feodor how to arrange the ingredients nicely in a glass dish. After this, he refused again to allow her to help him with clearing the table.

"No. After tomorrow, you can help me with these things if you wish, not today. Go and relax in the lounge. It will take me few minutes to do this and to make us some coffee. Or would you prefer some tea?"

"No, I would love some coffee after this perfect meal."

When he joined her with the coffee on a tray, she was sitting on the couch, turned towards him, her legs folded under her again. He added a couple of logs in the fire and after he had poured the coffee into the small cups and they had had a first sip, he sit back comfortably, his body slightly turned to her and with a twinkle in his eyes, let them browse her whole body down.

"It is torture not to touch you when you look like this."

Without getting closer to him, she leaned her cheek against the back of the couch and smiling at him defiantly, murmured: "Touch me…"

"Alright!"

He didn't get closer to her either but slowly trailed two fingers on her naked shoulder, drawing circles, then down her arm. This simple touch made her shiver and feel the well known and delicious wave of pleasure within her stomach.

After a few seconds, he added: "Come and dance with me."

"Oh?"

"Yes."

He got up, took his robe off and went to the record player. When he came back to her, pulled the tea table a little away from the couch and took her hand to invite her to stand up, their dear song was playing. The one during which she had undressed for him two months earlier.

He rested his hands on her hips and she put her arms around his neck. They were softly smiling at each other and were hardly moving, although following the languorous rhythm of the song. He pulled her closer, encircling her lower back within his embrace and his burning lips started kissing her arm and her naked shoulder. She was stroking the back of his neck and pressing her body against his, feeling a sense of delightful relief from being in his arms at last.

He lifted his head and she took his mouth avidly, foraging her fingers through his hair. As he was responding passionately to her kiss, his hands slid up and started to stroke her naked back, his palms gliding over her smooth skin as if they were anxious to not miss one single inch of it. Still following the slow rhythm of the music, she was pressing more and more and slightly moving her body against his, delighting in the warm pressure of his chest against her breasts and in feeling his hard arousal against her stomach. He then brought his hands down her back and proceeded to slowly stroke it upwards with his nails, repeating that movement again and again. The gentle but firm scratching was divine and a very new sensation to her. It made her shiver and moan against his mouth.

As they parted their lips to catch their breath, she undid the first buttons of his night shirt and stroked his chest with her open palms, trailing kisses wherever her palms had just been, loving his smell, his taste, the feel of his firm muscles, of his hair… She then undid the last buttons and pulled his shirt down his shoulder until it dropped on the floor, before losing herself in kissing his chest again and stroking his shoulders and neck and while he was resuming his sensual caresses on her back.

He progressively led their slow steps closer to the couch and when her legs touched it, she had no choice but to lie down, carrying him along in her fall. Still kissing, they managed to undress each other and they relished in brushing their naked bodies against each other and entwining them. The music had stopped by now and the only sounds were their heavy breathing and their intermittent moans.

Obviously, the back of the couch was hindering some of their movements.

"Hold on," he whispered in her ear.

He got up and disappeared somewhere at the back of the room. He came back after few seconds, spreading four sheepskins on the floor, at the foot of the couch. He carried her and laid her delicately on them, before resuming their heated embrace. The thick and extremely soft hair of the skins under her back, her buttocks and her legs felt warm and indescribably sensual to her.

OoOoOoOoOo

She dropped on him, her head buried in the crook of his neck as she sobbed, kissing his neck at the same time and repeating "I love you", "I love you" intermittently. He was holding her tightly and rocking her, breathless, yet covering her hair with kisses. He didn't ask why she was crying. He knew her tears were from relief and deep happiness. As her sobbing ceased, she fell asleep. Gently, he rolled her over, and stretched his arm to pull the blanket that was folded on the couch. He laid it on them both and watched her sleep for a long time before he closed his eyes, one arm around her and his lips on her shoulder.

That night, she woke him up with tender caresses when the moon was still high in the sky and they made love until dawn.

Might be continued…

I welcome reviews :o)

21


End file.
